Deprogram Diet Culture: Rethink Your Relationship with Food, Heal Your Mind, and Live a Diet-Free Life

Ditch the Diet and Gain a Healthy Relationship with Food

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Pub Date 9 Sep 2024 | Archive Date 31 Mar 2025
Greenleaf Book Group | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles

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Description

AMAZON BEST SELLER

Ditch the Diet and Gain a Healthy Relationship with Food

Dieting is one of the greatest contributors to weight gain. Yet the pressure to be thin is always present through advertising, social media, and even subtle influences from family and friends. As a young woman, Dr. Supatra Tovar was trapped in the frustrating cycle of dieting and disappointment and was determined to break free from the Diet Culture hamster wheel. Combining scientific research with clinical work as a licensed psychologist, registered dietitian, and fitness expert, Dr. Tovar developed a unique approach that has helped her and her clients naturally achieve sustainable health.

Now Dr. Tovar will teach you the steps to eliminate Diet Culture’s negative influence by explaining the science of why diets fail, while providing simple steps to help you achieve a healthy mind-body-soul relationship. By focusing on scientifically proven methods to change your mindset, tune into your body, and eat mindfully, she will help you reshape your relationship with food, heal your mind, and live a diet-free life.

Join a community of those seeking a healthier way. You will hear transformative stories, work through simple exercises, and gain access to valuable resources including meditation videos, a mindful eating journal, a workbook, and a cookbook—all in support of your journey to a more joyful, balanced, and self-accepting life. 

AMAZON BEST SELLER

Ditch the Diet and Gain a Healthy Relationship with Food

Dieting is one of the greatest contributors to weight gain. Yet the pressure to be thin is always present through...


A Note From the Publisher

Foreword by Weldon Long, author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller The Power of Consistency and The Upside of Fear

eBook: 9798886451955

Audiobook: 9798218485610

Foreword by Weldon Long, author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller The Power of Consistency and The Upside of Fear

eBook: 9798886451955

Audiobook: 9798218485610


Advance Praise

“It is with clarity and wisdom that Deprogram Diet Culture takes anyone struggling with dieting, food, and eating on an engaging journey of awakening. Dr. Supatra Tovar skillfully weaves together real-life anecdotes, behavioral change practices, the power of mindfulness, and cutting-edge research to give readers the tools necessary to transform their experience with food, dieting, and body. If you want to get off the diet merry-go-round and heal your relationship with food, look no further. Deprogram Diet Culture is a pathbreaking book for realizing the peace, balance, and joy that are inherent in each bite and morsel.”

—Donald Altman, MA, LPC, former vice president, The Center for Mindful Eating; best-selling author, The Mindfulness Toolbox, Simply Mindful, Meal by Meal, and Simply Mindful Resilience

“In the fitness world, we often grapple with the perplexing maze of diets, each promising miracles but leaving us in a tizzy of guilt and shame. Dr. Tovar’s book is a breath of fresh air, guiding you to break free from the dieting hamster wheel. It’s not just about shedding pounds; it's about reshaping your relationship with food and yourself. For anyone tired of the endless cycle of dieting, this book is your ticket to a healthier, happier you, without ever having to diet again!”

—Tracey Mallett, world-renowned fitness and wellness expert; best-selling author of Sexy in 6 and Super Fit Mama; creator of workouts bootybarre and bbarreless

“As a woman whose career is centered in entertainment, I know firsthand what the demands of Diet Culture have produced in the way of insecurity in what perfection is supposed to look like, and I highly recommend Deprogram Diet Culture as a way of reimagining our relationships to food and ourselves.”

—Noelle Scaggs, co-lead singer of Fitz and The Tantrums, Scaggs Entertainment, Inc.

“Dr. Tovar shows us how to break free from unhealthy relationships with food to develop peace and power from a healthy relationship with eating. The key to the wisdom she provides is her integration of personal experiences, case examples, and the science of psychology. Deprogram Diet Culture is rational guidance in a world of senseless dieting.”

—Dr. William July, licensed clinical psychologist, national best-selling author

“From my journey exploring cheap eats to gourmet treats, I know the pressure of maintaining health when working in the food industry. Deprogram Diet Culture is a lifeline, offering realistic and healthy approaches to food while never losing the fun and joy that comes with eating and enjoying every single bite.”

—Ali Khan, television host on Food Network, Cooking Channel, PBS, and History Channel; food writer for The Takeout, Texas Highways, and Ali Khan Eats

“After teaching cooking and healthy eating for so many years, I was surprised to learn that Dr. Supatra Tovar’s book has completely opened my mind to a new way of looking and thinking about food. I instantly implemented the changes and noticed how I started to enjoy eating and had a better and healthier relationship with food. Dr. Supatra Tovar’s approach is wise, compassionate, full of common sense, and easy. I recommend everyone reads this book as it will improve your relationship with food and make you feel better about yourself (and as a side effect, you will come back to your normal weight without worrying about it). A must-read!”

—Alexander Gershberg, award-winning chef; cooking teacher; author of Vegan for Friends, Energy, and Plantbased cookbooks

“As a fellow psychologist, nutritionist, and passionate advocate for women's well-being, I'm delighted to endorse Deprogram Diet Culture by Dr. Supatra Tovar. This book brilliantly addresses the unique challenges women face with dieting, especially during midlife. It offers a refreshing perspective on why diets fail and guides you toward a healthier, more sustainable relationship with food and yourself. Buy this book and ditch dieting forever.”

—Dr. Ellen Albertson, The Midlife Whisperer®

“As a professor committed to improving individual and community health, I appreciate the approach of Deprogram Diet Culture. Dr. Tovar’s book offers practical, science-based strategies for lifelong healthy eating habits, free from the constraints of traditional dieting.”

—Dr. Kathryn Hillstrom, EdD, MPH, RDN, FAND, professor and chair, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, California State University, Los Angeles

“As an eating disorder survivor and previous co-owner of an eating disorder clinic, I found Dr. Tovar's Deprogram Diet Culture extremely insightful, educational, and helpful for those struggling with their relationship with food. The practices within the book are explained in a way that makes them accessible to anyone on their journey to break free from Diet Culture. A must-read for anyone who’s ready to live a life of food freedom while nourishing and honoring their body!”

—Natalie Leon, wellness speaker, fitness and body image advocate

“As a trainer who values the importance of integrating science-based perspectives to educate how we create change in our body, I applaud Deprogram Diet Culture for incorporating this empowering approach. Dr. Tovar’s book provides this valuable support and much-needed encouragement to redefine our relationship with food and self.”

—Kimberly Spencer, joint mobility and Pilates specialist

“In her kind, compassionate, and insightful style, Dr. Tovar’s knowledgeable approach emphasizes mindfulness and awareness to help readers manage their physical and mental wellness healthily. Bravo!”

—María Botero Omary, PhD, MPP, principal, The Omary Group; former faculty member, Departments of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Cal Poly Pomona and California State University Los Angeles

“In this easily digestible book, Dr. Tovar helps readers take the stress out of eating. Her focus on mindfulness and behavioral change science are invaluable for anyone wanting to stop dieting and finally start living.”

—Chantal Donnelly, physical therapist; best-selling author of Settled: How to Find Calm in a Stress-Inducing World

“Dr. Tovar’s book, Deprogram Diet Culture, has saved me from the crushing influences of today’s diet-driven culture. With easy-to-understand bites of science, psychology, and real-life stories, she has taught me that no food is bad, perfection is an illusion, and that I am worthy. The book teaches how to use small achievable steps to gain a healthier relationship with food and ultimately myself by bringing mindfulness and balance into my daily journey with food. I have learned to slow down my eating, enjoy all foods, and to not look at my body in the formerly negative fashion that has plagued me for a long time. This new way of thinking has helped me to maintain a healthy body weight and improved my self-esteem and overall compassion with the world around me. From my personal experience, I highly recommend Deprogram Diet Culture to anyone struggling with the pressures of our hyper-intensive diet culture as a way to break free and start a meaningful new relationship with food and yourself.”

—Scott Peebles, television video editor 

“It is with clarity and wisdom that Deprogram Diet Culture takes anyone struggling with dieting, food, and eating on an engaging journey of awakening. Dr. Supatra Tovar skillfully weaves together...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9798886451948
PRICE US$24.99 (USD)
PAGES 192

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Average rating from 19 members


Featured Reviews

Lots of good information with ways to change the way you think of food and dieting. I have heard much of it before, but it’s always good to have something to refer to when you need reminding. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This was an incredibly refreshing read for a book belonging to the 'diet culture' genre. Being constantly surrounded by diet culture advice on several platforms and through various sorts of media, this book has a very positive and mindful approach. Dr Tovar has the perfect blend of scientific research and personal insights into her own personal battle with diet and body image. I enjoyed reading the science that underpins the key points made in the argument of deprogamming diet culture. Whilst parts of this book were slightly repetitive. I found the repetition to be add to the reading experience rather than hindering as it really emphaised the points that Dr Tovar was making and the importance of unpacking deeply ingrained toxic behaviours from mainstream diet culture.

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I really enjoyed this book. It gave a completely different vision of what "dieting" should be. We have always focus so much on eliminating foods that we never get to understand why we eat the things we eat and when we do. This book will now be my guide for a healthier lifestyle. I completely recommend it to anyone having a difficult time with weight management and diet trends

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I found this book interesting - it covered a variety of aspects of dieting (and why restrictive diets don't work) and the psychology associated with weight loss.

There was lots of information about dieting (a mixture of case studies and findings based on research) and sections about mindfulness and mindful eating, which I hadn't encountered before.

It was a straightforward and relatively quick read which will be helpful to refer back to in the future, and seems like it would be an informative book for anyone interested in avoiding diets in the future. .

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Dr. Supatra Tovar gifts us with loving and gentle guidance on how to say no to diet culture and say yes to a positive relationship with food and yourself. She provides a framework for identifying the thoughts and behaviors that are keeping you from trusting your body. She does more than provide information about the negative impact of dieting and diet culture, she asks the reader to take part in the process with mindfulness exercises to bring one's attention to the present. The books has links to four meditations that are offered on her website that can be part of the journey to incorporate mindfulness into your life.

I enjoyed this book and consider it a key resource on my healing journey to heal my relationship with food and myself.

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This was an enjoyable book with a lot of interesting and valuable information. I was engaged throughout! The author does an excellent job incorporating mindfulness and other similar techniques to encourage the reader to improve their perception and relationship with not just food, but also overall health and wellbeing. The author uses many real-life examples to make the content more relatable. As someone who works in the healthcare field, I personally felt much of the information presented was common sense and not really groundbreaking or new in this field. I do think this is a helpful read for someone not as familiar with the subject to understand why diets often fail and how it is more important to make long term lifestyle changes rather than short term extreme changes that are unsustainable. I have been trying to be more mindful about my eating since reading this and feel it is very helpful! I am glad I read to this one and would recommend it for those interested in learning more on this topic! Thank you to NetGalley and Dr. Supatra Tovar for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This isn’t rocket science but it is definitely one of the better anti-diet books I have read. It’s written with compassion and empathy, it has the right amount of stories about others and it gives practical and useful advice. I have come away with some things to try and a will to treat my body more kindly - which can only be a good thing. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this.

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A useful guide to mindful eating, which I will recommend to friends. I enjoyed reading about the research. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

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Dr Supatra Tovar (clinical psychologist, registered dietician and fitness expert) presents information in an accessible and informative way, to dismantle the harmful narratives around food and diet culture; and support informed decisions towards better health.

This is a very practical book, with many anecdotes and scientific research to support the various recommendations. Dr Tovar offers strategies to support changing our mindset around food, to change our emotions toward food, to ultimately modify our food behaviours, for sustainable health.

With thanks to Greenleaf Book Group and NetGalley for the digital review copy, for review consideration and an honest review.

While mindful eating and tuning into bodily cues is not a new concept, I appreciate how Dr Supatra Tovar addressed the science behind why diets fail, along with various behaviour change practices that can support us to reimagine our relationship with food.

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I loved the way this book was broken down into different sections within the chapters. It was full of useful information for anyone who struggles with the pressures of diet culture. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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This is an incredible detailed, well researched and compassionate book. The author really understands the issues and offers explanations and historical perspectives that highlight exactly how we have come to idealise thin white bodies whilst demonising larger bodies of other ethnicities. I was stunned and horrified by some of the revelations. I was also fascinated by the way Western dietary patterns have been praised and recommended, whilst Eastern and African food culture has been ignored. This is not the first book I have read on the theme of diets not working. However, it offers a very different, more analytical approach than many. It also offers many practical, small steps to help sufferers move towards a permanent solution. This is a glorious book, full of love and hope. If you have tried everything else, and, like so many of us, repeatedly failed, don’t give up hope. There is a solution, which starts with kindness to oneself, not hate.

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